I wouldn't mind Määttä. I think he's gonna be at least a solid top 4 dman. Also seems to have intangibles. Very mature and convincing kid for his age.

I'm sure of all the young D we have, he'd be pretty attainable for the right deal. Not t odiscount the guy or anything but they have such a surplus at that position that I believe he's the one that they would probably feel most comfortable parting with. i recall the Wild being high on him and the interest was mutual (between Minny & Maatta). He really liked your organization.

I don't read too deeply into the whole "scouts from other teams at games" thing. In fact, I don't read into it at all as there's always team scouts at games. The way the Wild are playing lately I don't see them making any moves other than continuing to call up and send down a couple rookies as needed based on player performance and injuries.

Even if the teams are not schedules to play each other at all this year and both teams scout each other on numerous occasions/ I understand that management may be friends but this seems to be beyond that, especially when the both teams have a surplus @ eachother's weakened positions.

I would be surprised if the Pens parted with Niskanen, given the depth issues on d. Personally, I would not want the Wild to pick up Niskanen either. He's a good player, but I would rather us target Despres, Morrow, or Maatta. From a Wild perspective, I believe those would be the three that would have the greatest appeal, but we shall see.

The players on the Wild that I could see Shero being interested in would be: Cullen (he plays a decent wing, is fast, and good on faceoffs), Seto (OCPenguin is a crackhead), Clutterbuck, possibly Phillips, Bouchard, and maybe Scandella (if you needed a d prospect going back to help balance it out).

How these players are all valued, it is really hard to tell. GM's rarely see things the way hockey fans do. Problem is, we think we're right, and they know they are.

I completely agree. The Pens have a crush on Morrow and don't see them trading him anytime soon... kind of like how Fletcher has a crush on Granlund, Coyle and Zucker.

Also, the Pens are close to signing Mark Eaton for added veteran depth on D. That would complicate things further for us at an already crowded position. Add the fact that Malkin may be injured for a while, and something may happen sooner than some may think.

I completely agree. The Pens have a crush on Morrow and don't see them trading him anytime soon... kind of like how Fletcher has a crush on Granlund, Coyle and Zucker.

Also, the Pens are close to signing Mark Eaton for added veteran depth on D. That would complicate things further for us at an already crowded position. Add the fact that Malkin may be injured for a while, and something may happen sooner than some may think.

If Malkin is out for awhile Cullen could make alot of sense. Fill the c spot in Malkins abscence and move to wing when Malkin comes back.

I'd love it if we could get Määttä for a reasonable price. He should become an extremely solid top 4 -guy once he matures. His hockey-IQ and positioning are great, especially for a D-man his age, and he has some offensive potential (as evidenced by his play during the OHL playoffs last year).

Niskanen has played great this season (at least in the 7-8 Pens games I've seen) and I believe he'd help our transitioning game. Top four of Suter-Brodin and Niskanen-Gilbert seems okay for me, especially if we could acquire him without moving any significant pieces.

Assuming Zucker is completely capable of playing on that 2nd line I'm all for trading Bouchard. Bouchard alone won't get us a good prospect but maybe we can package him with a 3rd rounder or a semi-decent prospect like Graovac or Phillips to get something fairly good.

Assuming Zucker is completely capable of playing on that 2nd line I'm all for trading Bouchard. Bouchard alone won't get us a good prospect but maybe we can package him with a 3rd rounder or a semi-decent prospect like Graovac or Phillips to get something fairly good.

Considering he's a UFA, his injury history and cap-hit, its hard to see Fletcher getting much. I think the cap relief would be the most beneficial component in the deal for the Wild.

I'd love it if we could get Määttä for a reasonable price. He should become an extremely solid top 4 -guy once he matures. His hockey-IQ and positioning are great, especially for a D-man his age, and he has some offensive potential (as evidenced by his play during the OHL playoffs last year).

Would Phillips for Määttä be a realistic swap? I feel there won't be room for Phillips in our top 6 for years so he might be a good asset to trade for a prospect that better suits Wild's needs. He's a first rounder so he should have some value too. Määttä can be replaced with any similar type of prospect who projects as a top 4 defenseman, he's just more of a known commodity to me and most Finns here I'd assume.

Would Phillips for Määttä be a realistic swap? I feel there won't be room for Phillips in our top 6 for years so he might be a good asset to trade for a prospect that better suits Wild's needs. He's a first rounder so he should have some value too. Määttä can be replaced with any similar type of prospect who projects as a top 4 defenseman, he's just more of a known commodity to me and most Finns here I'd assume.